Page 62 of Totally Opposed

We stayed up for hours talking. Mostly about Don and how Alan is now super freaking out that if he does come, he is going to hate it more than he thinks he hated it before. I don’t think Don hates Banana Ball at all. I think he doesn’t understand it, and I am all for helping to change that. What I did see, and what I kept telling Alan last night when he would dip into the spiral of what he remembered from the past, is that the only thing that matters now is the future. All we have to do is get him there and he’ll see just how amazing he is. How could he not?

“Good morning.” Alan yawns, stretching his arms above his head and jostling me out of my perfect position. But his hand comes down and rests against the small of my back, so I decide immediately to forgive him.

“Morning.”

“How long until we have to be up?”

I glance over at the clock.

“I have to get up now If I am going to get a swim in before the lanes open up to the public.”

“I guess I could go…swimming.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I mean, I said I would let you teach me, and I haven’t gotten back into the pool for a while.”

I remember back to the last time. He was still terrified, that I could tell, but he stayed in the water watching me swim laps instead of getting out the second I moved away from him.

“I wasn’t going to say anything, but I was worried I scared you off the water even more.”

“It’s not you, it’s just…well, you know. But I should keep trying. It wasn’t all bad the last time, if I remember correctly.”

“It was so long ago I’m surprised you remember at all.”

He shoves me with his hip, and I wrap my arms around him tight so that I don’t go rolling off the side of the bed.

“I’d love you to come. You can watch, you can swim, too, sit on the edge, whatever you like, no pressure.”

“Oh, there is pressure alright,” he replies, and I push up onto my hand to look down at him, resting back against the pillow.

“Why?”

“My brothers are putting in a pool at the ranch. From what Nial sent me, it will look more like a pond than a pool, so it blends in with the place, but without you know, frogs and shit.”

“And you want to go swimming at the ranch?”

“I want to go swimming with you at the ranch. Naked.”

I let out a laugh.

“You want to skinny dip at your family ranch?”

“You don’t want to?”

“Oh, I want to. I want to be in any place where you are going to be naked for sure. I just don’t know how easy that will be with all the guys and your family, including your gramps, staying at the same place.”

“We’ll find a way.”

“Okay, well, I guess we better get to work.”

“Can we cuddle in bed for a few more minutes first?” he whines, wrapping his arms around me and trying to pull me on top of him.

“Your gramps will be up soon,” I reply, and he lets go and rolls out of bed, crawling over to peek out the window that looks out onto the alley.

“Okay, I’m up, let’s go.” He laughs and then drops to his hands and crawls under the window frame to the bedroom door.He reaches up and pushes it open. Down the hallway, Duckie laughs.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

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